Waiting in the Wings: Madagascar, A Musical Adventure JR.

If you’ve been following PlayWrite, you’ll remember that back in September I told you that I’ve never seen the movie Madagascar. It’s crazy, I know! Unfortunately for me, that hasn’t changed, and I’m still out of the loop here. It just so happens that KVTA’s production of Madagascar: A Musical Adventure JR. is just around the corner! To help me know what to expect, Madagascar leads Justus Keen (Alex), Grant Bahr (Marty), Jordan Fox (Gloria), and Lily Tanner (Melman) gave me the inside scoop.

In this rag-tag bunch of animals, you’ve got stage veterans and some who are newer to performing. On stage, you’ll meet a big-headed lion, a sassy hippo, a nervous giraffe, and a crazy zebra. Sounds pretty fun to me!

I’ve been wondering what it’s like to be a non-human character. I’ve been in a few productions in my time, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never played an animal. (Although a teddy bear isn’t too far off, right, Debbie?) According to Lily who plays Melman, the giraffe, “It’s very hard because you have to learn about your animal and how to be an animal [rather than] an actor playing an animal.” Justus Keen who plays Alex, the lion, says this about playing an animal, “You have to think how an animal would think…” Grant Bahr who plays Marty, the zebra, on the other hand, likes being the character who is “the life of the party”, and Jordan Fox who plays Gloria, the hippo, the diva of the bunch, loves wearing costumes and getting to “become something you’re not.” I was happy to hear this because that’s my favorite part of being in a show, as well. Perhaps I’m ready to venture out into the animal acting world!

All of these kids agreed on one thing though, people need to come see this production! Both Jordan and Lily really want audiences to come hear the amazing vocals, see the awesome choreography, and just enjoy the overall hilarity of the show. Grant appealed to those of us with ‘warmer’ sensibilities, “Who wouldn't want to be ‘wild and free’ on a warm island filled with exotic animals and a hyperactive zebra in mid-November?” Justus summed it up nicely when he said that this show is going to be “crack-a-lackin’”!

You can catch Justus, Grant, Jordan, Lily, and the rest of the talented cast in the public productions of Madagascar: A Musical Adventure JR. at Lincoln Cultural Center this Saturday, November 18th at 7 pm and Sunday, November 19th at 2 pm. Each ticket is only $15, and they can be purchased at the door, as well as online at: www.kvta.org/buy-tickets

This is one wild show you don’t want to miss!